6-12-25 Method For Bigger Legs

Here's what you need to know about the 6-12-25 Method giant sets:

• First Exercise - Mechanical Tension: Stress, or tension on muscles during resistance exercise and the indisputable contributor to triggering a hypertrophic response. The forces produced when lifting weights disturb the integrity of working muscles, bringing about a phenomenon called mechanotransduction (Schoenfeld, 2022).  This will be accomplished by using heavier loads in the 2-6RM range with a bilateral movement (with the 6-12-25 method I recommend using an 8RM load across all sets.)
• Second Exercise - Muscle Damage: You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who regularly trains that has not experienced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMs). The key element of muscle damage is the level at which muscle damage occurs - too much damage could impair the muscle-building process. When using the 6-12-25 method muscle damage will be accomplished with a single-joint pattern (in most cases) using a 14RM load.
• Third Exercise - Metabolic Stress: Metabolic stress occurs with the production of by-products of metabolism called metabolites. This includes hydrogen ions, lactate, and inorganic phosphate (Schoenfeld, 2022). This effect is heightened when training with lighter loads with 15+ repetitions per set. In the case of the 6-12-25 method, we'll be using a single-joint pattern with a 27RM load (this is often the movement most people underestimate so going lighter than you think is a good practice.)

The late Charles Poliquin recommended taking these sets to near failure. Still, I'm a firm believer in keeping 1-2 reps in reserve (RIR) as research has shown that 1-2 reps in the tank are all that's needed to induce muscular hypertrophy. It's also far more sustainable this way and won't cripple you for 10 days.

Check out my 6-12-25 Upper-body Programming article here and my 6-12-25 Program Here.

#1 6-12-25 Hamstrings Emphasis
1a. Glute Ham Raise x 6
1b. RDL x 12
1c. Banded Leg Curls x 25
Rest 4:00 + repeat for 3-4 total rounds

#2 6-12-25 Quadriceps Emphasis
1a. Front Box Squat x 6
1b. DB Split Squat x 12 each
1c. Heels Elevated Goblet Squat x 25
Rest 4:00 + repeat for 3-4 total rounds

#3 6-12-25 Glute Emphasis
1a. SSB Wide Stance Box Squat x 6
1b. Glute Hip Thrust x 12
1c. Back Raise x 25
Rest 4:00 + repeat for 3-4 total rounds

#4 6-12-25 Calf Emphasis
1a. SSB Standing Calf Raise with 3s raise + 1s at top + 3s lowering + 1 second at the bottom
1b. Seated Calf Raises x 12 - slow & controlled reps
1c. Dip Belt Loaded Calf Raise x 12 - explosive reps
Rest 4:00 + repeat for 3-4 total rounds

#5 Posterior Chain Emphasis
1a. RDL x 6 
1b. Glute Ham Raise x 12
1c. Reverse Hyper x 25
Rest 4:00 + repeat for 3-4 total rounds

An entire week of both lower & upper Conjugate Programming could look like this:

When used with Conjugate a weekly layout could look like this:

Monday - Squat Emphasis - 6-12-25 Hamstrings

1. Front Squat Wave

2a. GHR
2b. RDL
2c. Leg Curls

3. Abs

Tuesday - Mixed Modality Aerobic Conditioning

Wednesday - Press Emphasis - 6-12-25 Back

1. Floor Press Wave

2a. Chin-up
2b. Row
2c. Facepulls

3. Pushdowns

Thursday - Cardiac Output Method Conditioning

Friday - Dynamic Effort Lower - 6-12-25 Quadriceps

1. Speed Pulls

2a. Front Squat
2b. Split Squat
2c. Goblet Squat

3. Loaded Carry

Saturday - Dynamic Effort Upper - 6-12-25 Triceps

1. Speed Press

2a. Close Grip Bench
2b. DB Floor Press
2c. Pushdowns

3. Row Variations

Sunday - OFF

I utilize the same variations for THREE weeks and utilize the 6-12-25 Method for no more than 6 weeks at a time - it's a great method, but also a method that one can burnout out quickly if utilized for too long.

This is also a fantastic method for Ex-CrossFit athletes - many of my clients have mentioned that using this method is harder than most WODs they've done!

Closing

While the 6-12-25 Method is a great method to spark new gains, it's not a method I'd use for longer than 6 weeks as people can burn out quickly on this one (which is why my 6-12-25 program is only 6 weeks in length.) I'd highly recommend starting slow this one with regards to loading and total sets performed - less is more out of the gate.